Protestantism

In alphabetical order by period. Also see List of current NBA players#Phoenix Suns. 27% of all Christians today are Protestants. Bench. These include 170 million in North America, 160 million in Africa, 120 million in Europe, 70 million in Latin America, 60 million in Asia, and 10 million in Oceania. Starting Lineup. There are about 590 million Protestants worldwide. He even traveled to Japan in 1991, when the Suns kicked off the 1991-1992 NBA season there with 2 games against the Jazz.

Main article: Protestants by country. It is worthy to note that every single Suns game in history has been covered both on local Phoenix TV and radio by the legendary broadcaster, Al McCoy, who has battled every kind of situation imaginable to keep doing his job every time his beloved Suns play. Please note that only general families are listed here (tens of thousands of individual denominations exist):. The Suns looked to bolster their defense during the summer. Most denominations share common beliefs in the major aspects of the Christian faith, while differing in many secondary doctrines. The Spurs, twice holding the Suns to under 100 points, won the series 4-1, ending Phoenix's outstanding season. Various ecumenical movements have attempted cooperation or reorganization of Protestant churches, according to various models of union, but divisions continue to outpace unions. In the Western Conference Finals, they played the San Antonio Spurs, who had the league's best defense.

The actual number of distinct denominations is hard to calculate, but has been estimated to be over thirty thousand. The Suns swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4-0 and defeated the number four seeded Dallas Mavericks in the second round 4-2. Other denominations are simply regional expressions of the same beliefs found in other places under other names. In the 2005 playoffs, Phoenix was seeded number one in the western conference, and because it owned the NBA's best record, was guarenteed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Indivi denominations also have formed over very subtle theological differences. Shawn Marion, Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury, and former Suns player Dan Majerle won the Shooting Stars contest, Steve Nash won the Skills contest, Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson both competed in the 3-Point Contest (with Richardson winning), Amare Stoudemire came in second in the Slam Dunk contest, and Nash, Marion, and Stoudemire all played in the game itself. This "invisible unity" is assumed to be imperfectly displayed, visibly: some denominations, are less accepting of others, and the basic orthodoxy of some is questioned by most of the others. The Suns also had a very large contingency of players competing in the NBA All-Star Game and the events that go with it.

Protestants often refer to specific Protestant churches and groups as denominations to imply that they are differently named parts of the whole church. The Suns ended the 04-05 season as the team with the most points per game (110.4), the most threes per game (9.7), and the best three point percentage to match (39.3). Thus, the West was permanently divided into Roman Catholic and Protestant. The key to their success was their style of play, which heavily relied on the fast break, which is very uncommon in the current era of the NBA. Today many Anglicans consider themselves to be Reformed Catholics rather than Protestants in the theological sense. The team was not expected to do nearly as well at the beginning of the season. There has been a strong engagement of Orthodox churches in the ecumenical movement. Nash was voted the NBA MVP for the 2004-2005 season after the regular season ended.

There are also ecumenical bodies at regional, national and local levels across the globe. One, but not the only expression of the ecumenical movement has been the move to form united churches, such as the Church of South India, the Church of North India, The United Church of Canada and the Uniting Church in Australia. The team was led by the MVP-caliber play of point guard Steve Nash, acquired in the offseason, as well as returning players Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. Since 1948 the World Council of Churches has been influential. This ties their franchise best record for the most wins, back when Barkley was first traded to the team. Its origins lay in the recognition of the need for cooperation on the mission field in Africa, Asia and Oceania. The 2004-05 season has been very successful, with the Suns finishing 62-20, the best record in the NBA. The ecumenical movement has had an influence on mainline churches, beginning at least in 1910 with the Edinburgh Missionary Conference. The sale also included the Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Rattlers.

Neo-evangelicalism is a movement from the middle of the 20th century, that reacted to perceived excesses of Fundamentalism, adding to concern for biblical authority an emphasis on liberal arts, co-operation among churches, Christian Apologetics, and non-denominational evangelization. In April 2004, the Phoenix Suns were sold to an investment group headed by tycoon Robert Sarver for $401 million dollars. Fundamentalism placed primary emphasis on the authority and sufficiency of the Bible, and typically advised separation from error, and cultural conservatism, as important aspects of the Christian life. After the trade, the Suns continued to struggle, but the trade opened up opportunities for some of the Sun's young rising stars. In reaction to liberal Bible critique, Fundamentalism arose in the 20th century, primarily in the United States and Canada, among those denominations most affected by Evangelicalism. Convinced that the team was going nowhere, the Suns made a blockbuster mid-season trade involving Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway. A later "charismatic" movement also stressed the gifts of the Spirit, but often operated within existing denominations rather than coming out of them. Following one of the worst preseasons in Suns franchise history, the Suns got off to a rocky start in the regular season.

Pentecostalism swept through much of the Holiness movement, and eventually spawned hundreds of new denominations in the United States. In the 2003-2004 season, the Suns again found themselves out of the playoffs. Divine healing and miracles were also emphasized. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2002-2003 season, during which the Suns posted a record of 44-38 and returned to the playoffs. Seeking a return to the operation of New Testament gifts of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues as evidence of the "baptism of the Holy Ghost" became the leading feature. His size and athleticism, along with a strong work ethic, have many anticipating him to join the ranks of Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett as the best NBA players to have jumped from high school to the pro ranks. Pentecostalism as a movement began in the United States early in the 20th century, starting especially within the Holiness movement. The 2002-2003 saw the emergence of Amare Stoudemire, who many have likened to future Hall of Fame power forward Karl Malone.

The chief emphases of this movement were individual conversion, personal piety and Bible study, public morality often including Temperance and family values, and Abolitionism, de-emphasis of formalism in worship and in doctrine, a broadened role for laity (including women) in worship, evangelism and teaching, and cooperation in evangelism across denominational lines. Lottery-bound, however, the Suns were able to draft Amare Stoudemire. Beginning at the end of 18th century, several international revivals of Pietism (such as the Great Awakening), took place across denominational lines, which are referred to generally as the Evangelical movement. That season marked the trade of Jason Kidd, partly due to a publicized domestic violence account where he slapped his wife, to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury. The practice of a spiritual life, typically combined with social engagement, predominates in classical Pietism, which was a protest against the doctrine-centeredness Protestant Orthodoxy of the times, in favor of depth of religious experience. Many of the more conservative Methodists went on to form the Holiness movement, which emphasized a rigorous experience of holiness. The Suns kept making the playoffs until the 2001-2002 campaign, when they fell short for the first time in 14 years. The German Pietist movement together with the influence of the Puritan Reformation in England in the 17th century were importantinfluences on John Wesley and Methodism, as well as through smaller, new groups such as the Quakers. While this was going on, Johnson retired, but he attempted a comeback to try to help the Suns during the 2000 playoffs.

Later, Puritans were often referred to as Dissenters and Nonconformists. Barkley was traded and the Suns began a downward spiral. They refused to endorse completely all of the ritual directions and formulas of the Book of Common Prayer; the imposition of its liturgical order by legal force and inspection sharpened Puritanism into a definite opposition movement. He was also present to see his number retired in 2004. The Puritans objected to ornaments and ritual in the churches as idolatrous (vestments, surplices, organs, genuflection), which they castigated as "popish pomp and rags." (See Vestments controversy.) They also objected to ecclesiastical courts. Their feud has since been repaired, however, and Barkley appeared at a Suns home game in 2003. They wanted the Church of England to resemble more closely the Protestant churches of Europe, especially Geneva. In 1996, Barkley's relationship with Colangelo grew sour and they trashed each other publicly.

The Puritan Movement of the late 16th century - early 18th century was Reformed or Calvinist and initially sought reform in the Church of England, its origins lay in the discontent with the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. The next couple of years saw the Suns waste 3 to 1 leads against the Houston Rockets and get eliminated by them both years. See articles Puritan and English Civil War. They won 62 games that year, advancing to the NBA finals for the second time ever, where they lost in 6 games to the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Bulls. Some of these movements have a common lineage, sometimes directly spawning later movements in the same groups. Former Boston Celtics member Danny Ainge was added to the mix and the Suns had a dynamic team that would be hard to stop. Protestants can be differentiated according to how they have been influenced by important movements since the magisterial Reformation and the Puritan Reformation in England. Hornacek was traded to Philadelphia in 1992 along with Andrew Lang for the flamboyant but productive Charles Barkley, probably a future Hall of Famer himself.

See the articles Lay, Ordained and Priesthood of all believers. Kurt Rambis was added from the Charlotte Hornets in 1989, and the team caused a shocking upset by beating the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games that season before falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in the western conference finals. Thus, controversies over the Lord's Supper only initially seem to be about the nature of bread and wine, but are ultimately about the nature of salvation, and therefore secondarily about the nature of the Church. In 1988, Tom Chambers came over from Seattle, Jeff Hornacek was signed, Dan Majerle was drafted with the 14th pick in the draft, which they obtained from Cleveland in the Kevin Johnson trade, and the team began a 13 year playoff streak. In Christian theology, as the bread shares identity with Christ (which he calls, "my body"), in an analogous way the Church shares identity with him (and also is called "the Body of Christ"). It was in this trade that the Suns gave up popular power forward Larry Nance. Although early Protestants were in general agreement against the Roman Catholic dogma of transubstantiation, which teaches that the substance of the bread and wine used in the sacrificial rite of the Mass is transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ (see Eucharist), they disagreed with one another concerning the manner in which Christ is present in Holy Communion. That all began to change in 1987, though, with the acquisition through a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers of Kevin Johnson and Mark West.

See articles Real Presence and Lord's Supper. The next few years for the Suns weren't as good, as a drug scandal rocked the organization in 1987, and the franchise was having a hard time putting wins together. One of the central points of divergence was controversy over the Lord's Supper. Game 5 was a triple-overtime classic that is considered by many to be the greatest game in NBA history. On the theological front, the Protestant movement soon began to coalesce into several distinct branches. They finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but shockingly they beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, giving the Celtics a tough battle before falling in 6 games. Naturally, it proved easier to advocate separation from the Catholic Church, than to form a single, positively united alternative. In 1976, the year the movie Rocky was released, the Suns proved to be a real-life, basketball version of Rocky.

These were effectively a rallying cry to challenge the problems the Reformers believed they had identified, they are:. The brainchild of former Chicago Bulls assistant coach and Arizona sports magnate Jerry Colangelo, the Suns in the 1970s had mild success, combining the talents of such players like Dick Van Arsdale (The Original Sun), his twin brother Tom Van Arsdale, Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, Len "Truck" Robinson, Alvan Adams, and center Neal Walk, who sadly, in 1974 had a car accident that left him paralyzed. The fifth, Soli deo gloria, points to the issue intended to be central in the other four. The Suns came to the Valley of the Sun in 1968, but they have yet to win an NBA Title. They began with a victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on opening night. There were five solas, four discussed here. The Phoenix Suns are a National Basketball Association team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Main article: five solas. Amare Stoudemire.

The Reformers believed it was necessary to return to the simplicity of the Gospel in terms of these points of perceived difference. Quentin Richardson. At the time of the Reformation four Latin slogans illustrate the Reformers' concern that the authorities of the Church had distorted the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Steve Nash.
. Shawn Marion. Main article: Protestant Reformation#England: Political Reformation. Joe Johnson.

The separation of the Church of England from Rome under Henry VIII, beginning in 1529 and completed in 1536, brought England alongside the Reformation; however, change in England proceeded more conservatively than elsewhere in Europe and alternated between traditional and Protestant sympathies for centuries, progressively forging a stable compromise. Cotton Fitzsimmons (coach). After this first stage of the Reformation, following the excommunication of Luther and condemnation of the Reformation by the Pope, the work and writings of John Calvin were influential in establishing a loose consensus among various groups in Switzerland, Scotland, Hungary, Germany and elsewhere. Joe Proski (trainer). Erasmus), sometimes breaking from Rome or from the Protestants, or forming outside of the churches. 44 Paul Westphal. Other Protestant movements grew up along lines of mysticism or humanism (cf. 42 Connie Hawkins.

Some followers of Zwingli believed that the Reformation was too conservative, and moved independently toward more radical positions, some of which survive among modern day Anabaptists. 34 Charles Barkley. These two movements quickly agreed on most issues, as the recently introduced printing press spread ideas rapidly from place to place, but some unresolved differences kept them separate. 33 Alvan Adams. Parallel to events in Germany, a movement began in Switzerland under the leadership of Huldrych Zwingli. 24 Tom Chambers. (Tradition holds that he nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle's Church, which served as a pinboard for university-related announcements.) Luther's dissent marked a sudden outbreak with new and irresistible force of discontent which had been pushed underground but not resolved; the quick spread of discontent occurred to a large degree because of the printing press and the resulting swift movement of both ideas and documents (such as the 95 Theses). 9 Dan Majerle.

The protest began in earnest when Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and professor at the University of Wittenberg, called in 1517 for reopening of debate on the sale of indulgences. 7 Kevin Johnson. To some degree, the protest can be explained by the events of the previous two centuries in Western Europe. 6 Walter Davis. The protest erupted suddenly, in many places at once but particularly in Germany, during a time of threatened Islamic invasion¹ which distracted German princes in particular. 5 Dick Van Arsdale. Protestants generally trace their separation from the Roman Catholic Church to the 16th century, which is sometimes called the magisterial Reformation because the movement received support from the magistrates, the ruling authorities (as opposed to the radical Reformation, which had no state sponsorship). Stephon Marbury.

The council could not prevent schism and the Hussite Wars in Bohemia. Danny Ainge. Constance confirmed and strengthened the traditional medieval conception of church and empire, it did not address the national tensions, nor the theological tensions which had been stirred up during the previous century. Cedric Ceballos. The Roman Catholic Church officially concluded this debate at the Council of Constance (1414-1418) The conclave condemned Jan Hus who was executed (he had come under a promise of safe-conduct) and posthumously burned Wyclif as a heretic. Larry Nance. One of the most disruptive and radical of the new perspectives came first from John Wyclif at Oxford University, then from Jan Hus at the University of Prague. Kevin Johnson.

Ongoing, earnest theoretical debates occurred in the universities about the nature of the church, and the source and extent of the authority of the papacy, of councils, and of princes. Jason Kidd. The humanism of the Renaissance stimulated unprecedented academic ferment, and a concern for academic freedom. Neal Walk. A new nationalism also challenged the relatively internationalist medieval world. Jeff Hornacek. Unrest in the Western Church and Empire culminated in the Avignon Papacy (1308 - 1378), and the papal schism (1378-1416), excited wars between princes, uprisings among the peasants, and widespread concern over corruption in the monastic system. Anfernee Hardaway.

See articles on John Wyclif, Jan Hus and the Renaissance. Rex Chapman. For the 14th to 16th centuries see the main article Protestant Reformation. Charles Barkley. The Protestant movement away from the constraints of tradition, toward greater emphasis on individual conscience, anticipated later developments of democratization, and the so-called Enlightenment of later centuries. Dan Majerle. Nascent Protestant social ideals of liberty of conscience and individual freedom were formed through continuous confrontation with the authority of the Bishop of Rome, and the hierarchy of the Catholic priesthood. Jerry Colangelo.

The new technology of the printing press allowed Protestant ideas to spread rapidly, as well as aiding in the dissemination of translations of the Bible in native tongues. Connie Hawkins. As an intellectual movement, Protestantism grew out of the Renaissance and universities, attracting some learned intellectuals, as well as politicians, professionals, and skilled tradesmen and artisans. C - #43 Jake Voskuhl (UConn). In German speaking areas, the word Protestant still refers to Lutheran churches in contrast to Reformed churches, while the common designation for all churches originating from the Reformation is Evangelical. SF - #17 Paul Shirley (Iowa State). Some Western, non-Catholic, groups are labeled as Protestant (such as Quakers, for example), even if the sect acknowledges no historical connection to Luther, Calvin or the Roman Catholic Church. F - #46 Bo Outlaw (Houston).

A third major branch of the Reformation, which encountered conflict with both Catholics and other Protestants, is sometimes called the Radical Reformation. PF - #0 Walter McCarty (Kentucky). Later, John Calvin, a important theologian of the Reformed churches, many of which had early connections to the Swiss reform movement started by Zwingli, figures prominently in the broadening of the movement, embracing a wider diversity than the Lutherans did. SG - #21 Jim Jackson (Ohio State). In a broader sense of the word, Protestant began to be used as the collective name for a sudden movement of separation from the Roman Catholic Church, the beginning of which which is ordinarily connected with the public disputes raised by Martin Luther. C - #45 Steven Hunter (DePaul). The 1526 session of the Diet had agreed to toleration of Lutheran teachings (on the basis of Cuius regio, eius religio) until a General Council could be held to settle the question, but by 1529 the Catholic forces felt they had gathered enough power to end the toleration without waiting for a Council. PG - #10 Leandro Barbosa (Brazil).

The 1521 edict forbade Lutheran teachings within the Holy Roman Empire. PF - #32 Amare Stoudemire (Cypress Creek HS, Orlando, Florida). The term Protestant originally applied to the group of princes and imperial cities who protested the decision by the 1529 Diet of Speyer to reverse course and enforce the 1521 Edict of Worms. SF - #31 Shawn Marion (UNLV). It is commonly considered one of the three major branches of Christianity, along with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. SG - #2 Joe Johnson (Arkansas). The term encompasses many different theological and social perspectives, churches and other religious organizations, which have arisen outside of the Roman Catholic Church since the Protestant Reformation. SG - #3 Quentin Richardson (DePaul).

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity. PG - #13 Steve Nash (Santa Clara). Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, peace activist. Ian Paisley, Protestant leader Ulster, Northern Ireland. Pat Robertson, American charismatic/fundamentalist leader.

Jurgen Moltmann, German theologian. Stanley Hauerwas, American Christian theologian and ethicist. Franklin Graham, American evangelist (son of Billy Graham). Billy Graham, American evangelist.

Jerry Falwell, American evangelist and political activist. Cobb, theologian, involved in Process Theology. John B. Paul Tillich, Lutheran existentialist theologian.

Auguste Sabatier Article in French (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Auguste_Sabatier), Protestant founder of the French fideo-symbolist tendency and of the Institut de Théologie Protestante ITP), in Paris (1872). Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologion and ethicist. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian, involved in the resistance against Nazism and executed shortly before the end of World War 2. Karl Barth, German theologian along with Emil Brunner known for Dialectical theology and Neo-orthodox theology.

George Whitefield, Great Awakening reformist preacher, Calvinist. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, Arminian. Charles Wesley, a Methodist leader, poet, & hymn writer. Andre Lortie aka Andrew Lortie, leading Huguenot theologian and exile.

George Fox, Founder of the Society of Friends. Jonathan Edwards, great American Puritan theologian, Great Awakening reformist preacher, Calvinist. Jacob Amman, founder of the Amish church. Huldrych Zwingli, early Swiss religious reformer.

Philipp Jakob Spener, "godfather" of the Pietist movement. Menno Simons, founder of Mennonitism. Philipp Melanchthon, early Lutheran leader. Martin Luther, German religious reformer, theologian, founder of the Lutheran church in Germany, founder of Lutheranism.

William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury under Charles I of England. John Knox, Scottish Calvinist reformer,. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII, leader of the English Reformation. John Calvin, French speaking Reformer, theologian, founder of school of thought known as Calvinism.

Jacobus Arminius, Dutch theologian, founder of school of thought known as Arminianism. African Independent Churches. Restoration movement. Quakerism.

Reformed churches including Calvinist, Reformed and Presbyterian. Pentecostal. Methodist / Wesleyan. Lutheran.

Anabaptist and Baptist. Anglican / Episcopalian. See main article Christian ecumenism. See main article Neo-evangelicalism.

See main article Fundamentalism. See main article Pentecostalism. See main article Evangelicalism. See main articles Pietism and Methodism.

Radical - Anabaptist and peace churches. Reformed. Lutheran - The two kingdoms. A Protestant holding a popular simplifiction of the Zwinglian view, without concern for theological intricacies as hinted at above, may see the Lord's Supper merely as a symbol of the shared faith of the participants, a commemoration of the facts of the crucifixion, and a reminder of their standing together as the Body of Christ.

Zwinglians deny that Christ makes himself present to the believer through the elements of the sacrament, but affirm that Christ is united to the believer through the faith toward which the supper is an aid (a view referred to somewhat derisively as memorialism). The Reformed closest to Calvin emphasize the real presence, or sacramental presence, of Christ, saying that the sacrament is a means of saving grace through which the believer actually partakes of Christ, "but not in a carnal manner". Reformed teaching concerning the Lord's Supper ranges along the continuum from Calvin to Zwingli. Lutheran teaching does, however, insist that Christ is present physically, rather than in a purely "spiritual" sense.

Lutherans hold to an understanding closest to that of Real Presence (often characterized by critics by the term, "consubstantiation"), which affirms the true presence of Christ "in, with, and under" the bread and wine. Lutherans point to Jesus' statement, "This is my body", while refusing to delve past Christ's words in order to describe just how this takes place. Sola gratia: Grace alone. Sola fide: Faith alone. Sola scriptura: Scripture alone.

Solus Christus: Christ alone. Anabaptists and the Radical Reformation with an emphasis on Millenarianism. John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli. Martin Luther.